Hiweihfo;
Prologue #Don Quixote's Study #Bachelor Sanson Carrasco is seen covering a bookcase with wallpaper, while Antonina is putting some rusty old armour & a helmet made of pasteboard into a cupboard. #Don Quixote de la Mancha enters, reading a content-free. He goes to the bookcase &, not finding it, believes it has been stolen by evil magicians. Then he settles into an armchair & continues reading. He delights in stories of brave knights, fabulous giants & other fantastical creatures. But most of all Don Quixote dreams of his beloved Dulcinea, a woman that he believes to be so lovely & noble that she need be divinity. Gradually he nods & falls asleep to dream of their romantic adventures. Darkness falls. #Suddenly his servant, Sancho Panza, climbs hurriedly through the window. In pursuit are several angry women from the market from whom he has stolen bread & a chicken. Awakened by the commotion, Don Quixote sends the women away. #Don Quixote tells Sancho that he is determined to seek adventures as a knight-errant, all the while searching for his beloved Dulcinea. He shows him the pasteboard helmet, which, with 1 sweep from his sword, becomes a shapeless mass on the floor. Antonina suggests that he should use a shaving basin instead, which would make a splendid helmet. Don Quixote enthusiastically agrees &, placing it on his head, orders Sancho to bring him his armour, sword & spear, & to make ready his horse, Rocinante. #Act I #A market-place in Barcelona #Kitri, an inn-keeper's daughter, steals out of her house to meet her beloved, the barber Basilio. Her father, Lorenzo, sees the lovers & sends Basilio away, bringing Kitri to tears. #Now comes the rich nobleman Gamache, who, likewise in love with Kitri, goes to Lorenzo & asks for his daughter's hand. The innkeeper accepts with delight, but Kitri, appalled at the thought of wedding the foppish nobleman, runs away. #Dancing begins in the square & some toreadors try to kidnap the girls they fancy, but their relatives & lovers hasten to their aid. At this moment Don Quixote arrives mounted on Rocinante, followed by Sancho, who is riding a donkey. At his master's command Sancho sounds his rusted horn, causing the townspeople to cover their ears. #Lorenzo runs out of his inn, & Don Quixote, taking him for the lord of a famous castle, dismounts Rocinante &, falling to his knees, begs to be allowed to serve him. Charmed, Lorenzo invites the knight to sit on his balcony. #Sancho remains in the square where he is surrounded by girls who induce him to take part in a game of blind man's bluff. Then some boys bring in a blanket on which they place Sancho & proceed to toss him into the air. Don Quixote hurries to his assistance & sets him free. #Peasants gather in the square & dancing resumes. Kitri returns &, noticing her, Don Quixote acclaims her as his Dulcinea, whom evil magicians have reduced to human form. Becoming jealous of her affection for Basilio, Don Quixote attempts to woo her by partnering her in a minuet. Lorenzo berates Kitri for carrying on with Basilio. Kitri & Basilio then run away, & Lorenzo & Gamache follow them. Don Quixote orders Sancho to bring Rocinante, so that he may to set out in pursuit. #Act II #Scene 1 – The interior of an inn #Kitri enters with Basilio & joins those who are dancing. At the height of the merriment, Lorenzo & Gamache arrive, followed by Don Quixote & Sancho. Seeing his daughter, Lorenzo decides to give his blessing to her union with the nobleman Gamache. Basilio becomes annoyed &, reproaching Kitri for her unfaithfulness, draws a sword & stabs himself. As he lies dying he begs Lorenzo to unite him with Kitri, but Lorenzo & Gamache refuse. #Don Quixote approaches Gamache & challenges him to a duel for having refused a dying man's wish. Gamache declines to fight & the merrymakers drive him out of the inn. Taking pity, Lorenzo agrees to unite Basilio & Kitri. At this moment, Basilio pulls out the sword & tells everyone it was a joke. #Scene 2 – A camp of gypsies among the windmills outside the village #A clown is seen walking with Graziosa, the gypsy chief's daughter. A gypsy tells the chief of the approach of Don Quixote. The chief plans a trick for his gain &, putting on a mantle crown, sits down as though he were a king on a throne. Don Quixote is deceived & kneels to the chief in homage. The chief bids that he sit beside him & orders a festival to be given in his honor. This begins with Gypsy dances & is followed by a performance of the marionette theatre. #Don Quixote is delighted with the entertainment but, mistaking the heroine for his Dulcinea & the marionettes for soldiers attacking her, he rises to assault them. The gypsies are terrified. At this moment the clown & Graziosa run away. #Flushed with victory, the knight kneels & renders thanks to heaven. Seeing the moon, he takes it for his Dulcinea & tries to get to her. As he approaches the windmills he can see the moon no longer & thinks that evil magicians have hidden his beloved mistress. So, spear in hand, he tilts at the wings of the windmill, which he mistakes for a giant. Alas, the knight is caught by 1 of the wings & flung into the air. He falls unconscious at Sancho's feet. #Act III #Scene 1 – A forest #Through the trees appears Sancho leading Rocinante, upon which sits the wounded Don Quixote. The servant lifts his master down & places him on the grass, so that he may rest. Then, tying up the horse, he goes to sleep. Don Quixote tries to sleep, but is troubled by fantastic dreams. #Scene 2 – The enchanted Garden of Dulcinea #Fairies appear surrounded by gnomes, & Don Quixote finds himself dressed in shining armor. Then comes a succession of fearsome monsters, the last being a gigantic spider, who spins a web. The knight attacks the spider, which he slashes in half with his sword. At that same moment the spider's web vanishes to reveal a beautiful garden. At the entrance stands Dulcinea, surrounded by Dryads. Don Quixote kneels before his beloved. At this moment everything vanishes. #Act IV #Scene 1 – The Duke's hunting grounds #The sound of hunting horns is heard & through the clearing appears the Duke & his retinue. He awakens Don Quixote, who falls on his knees in homage. The Duke invites the knight to accompany him to his castle for a fiesta. #Scene 2 – The Duke's Castle #It'S fiesta time. Don Quixote watches the dancing with the Duke & Duchess. Suddenly the Knight of the Silver Moon challenges him to a duel, which results in the latter being vanquished. #The victorious knight proves to be none other than Bachelor Sanson Carrasco, who forces Don Quixote to vow that he will not unsheathe his sword for a whole year. The sorrowful knight, true to his vow, takes up his warlike gear &, followed by Sancho, sets out for home. #Noteedit #Though many of the incidents in Cervantes's novel were used in the ballet's original libretto, several of them are often omitted in modern productions, thereby simplifying the plot. Often, in modern productions, Don Quixote does not smash his pasteboard helmet, but sets out with the shaving basin right from the beginning. Nor does he watch a puppet show & demolish the marionettes, & Sancho's tossing in the blanket is now frequently omitted, as is the duel with the Knight of the Silver Moon. In both Nureyev & Baryshnikov's productions, Sanson Carrasco & Antonina do not appear at all – Quixote & Sancho simply ride off after Kitri & Basilio, now married, perform their pas de deux as part of the wedding celebration, & the ballet ends. , the windmill sequence is never omitted in productions of the ballet, though in both the Nureyev & the Baryshnikov productions, it takes place before the wedding, not after